The Minnesota Vikings continue to shake up the NFL winning their third straight game, this time beating the Houston Texans in dominant fashion. Samuel Richard Darnold came to play on Sunday matching his career-high four touchdown passes, and the defense was dominant just as they’ve been all season so far, as they intercepted C.J. Stroud twice and sacked him four times in the Vikings’ 34-7 win over the Houston Texans.
Sam Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for the first scores in the first quarter, and in the second half, Darnold delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game. Another dominant performance came from the new running back Aaron Jones, as Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards. The Vikings were a trendy pick for last place in the NFC North, but after three weeks they sit at the top of the NFC North and have beaten back-to-back contenders to start their home slate, and this game was Minnesota’s biggest win margin in the last five years
Minnesota Vikings Defense Has Got To Be The Best In The NFL Right Now
Coach Brian Flores has got to be the best defensive coordinator in the league right now and honestly should be a favorite to land a head coaching job in 2025. After seeing how well this Vikings defense is playing, it wouldn’t be a shock if we see him back as a head coach next year for a different team. To be honest, this defense has a few key players missing in different areas, but you can’t even tell with how well coach Flores has these guys covering up each other’s shortcomings.
We are definitely seeing a Brian Flores masterclass because this is for sure the best work of his career, and yes that includes the Super Bowl defenses he had with the New England Patriots. The Vikings’ defense doesn’t give the opposing quarterback any time to think, they have 15 sacks through three games, and you could see in Sunday’s game against the Texans, poor C.J. Stroud struggled heavily with Brian Flores defense, and the pass rush. The Texan’s offensive line is one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, but the Vikings at home really made them look as lost as their quarterback was.
Can Sam Darnold And This Offense Continue This Dominating Performance To Compliment The Dominant Defense
Before this season everyone sort of thought that first-round pick J.J. McCarthy would start this season for the Minnesota Vikings. Then we saw through training camp that maybe Sam Darnold might end up getting the job, well J.J. ended up getting hurt in pre-season leaving no other choice but Samuel Richard Darnold to start for this Vikings team. Boy was that the right decision or what? Darnold came into the 2024 season with a career-high 19 passing touchdowns, now he’s on pace for about 40+ after his performance through three weeks of the regular season.
Coach Kevin O’Connell has this offense paying to Darnold’s strengths instead of the coaching staff just forcing him to do what they want him to do. Darnold has got to be the favorite for at least the Comeback Player of the Year award, he might even win the MVP award if he keeps up this performance. The Minnesota Vikings offense is looking like one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL. They’re doing it all while still missing a few pieces.
For example, what does this team look like with T.J. Hockenson back? Jordan Addison? This team is not only going to age like some fine wine this season, but for many more seasons as they continue to get, and stay healthy.
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